Flight attendants, also called stewards/stewardesses, work on aircraft and provide assistance to the passengers, ensuring that their flight goes smoothly and uninterrupted. The job of a flight attendant is to cater to all the needs of their passengers, which normally includes serving food and drinks, reminding them to fasten their seatbelts, assisting disabled passengers, as well as controlling the passengers’ behavior. Flight attendants are also responsible for controlling the environment inside the aircraft in the event of a disaster, such as the aircraft suddenly hitting turbulence or making an emergency landing.
Becoming a flight attendant doesn’t require any higher degree than a high school diploma, though there are some organizations which provide training courses for the job, and those who have completed such a course are considered with priority by airlines. A flight attendant working on international flights must be fluent in the languages of all the countries that the plane passes through, and optionally be familiar with the specific cultural aspects of those countries, in order to better relate to the passengers’ needs.
A flight attendant can earn a moderately high pay rate for the workload involved in the job. An annual salary of between $47,000 – $67,000 is the most common, and most airlines offer substantial bonuses to their flight attendants in extraordinary cases, such as delayed/prolonged flights or incidents. Even though there’s not much room for promotion in this position, companies still offer some attractive pay raises to their more prominent attendants.